Latest news with #executiveOrders
CTV News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Trump orders investigation into final years of Biden's presidency
Watch Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the last two years of Joe Biden's presidency, including pardons and executive orders.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump is not a king – but that doesn't stop him from reveling in his job's most ceremonial and exciting parts
Heads of state are the symbolic leader of a country. Some of them, like King Charles III of the United Kingdom, carry out largely ceremonial roles these days. Others, like Saudi Arabian King Salman, are absolute monarchs and involved in governing the country's day-to-day activities and policies. It also means that the Saudi monarch gets to do whatever he wants without much consequence from others. In the United States, the president is both the head of state and head of government. The head of government works with legislators and meets with other world leaders to negotiate agreements and navigate conflicts, among other responsibilities. Some presidents, like Jimmy Carter, got so bogged down in the specifics that the nighttime comedy show 'Saturday Night Live' made fun of it in 1977. 'SNL' spoofed Carter responding in extreme, mundane detail to a question about fixing a post office's letter sorting machines. As a political scientist who studies American presidents, I see that President Donald Trump loves the power and prestige that comes with being head of state, but does not seem to particularly enjoy the responsibility of being head of government. Trump rarely talks about the often-tedious process of governing, and instead acts with governance by decree by signing a flurry of executive orders to avoid working with other parts of the government. He has also likened himself to a king, writing on Feb. 19, 2025, 'Long Live the King!' As much as Trump loves hosting sports teams and talking about paving over the White House's rose garden in a remodeling project, he seems to begrudgingly accept the role of head of government. Trump revels in social events where he is heralded as the most important person in the room. On Feb. 9, 2025, Trump became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. A week later, he attended the Daytona 500 at Daytona Beach, Florida, where his limousine led drivers in completing a ceremonial lap. Trump's preference for serving as head of state and not head of government was on full display during his now infamous Feb. 28, 2025, White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the televised Oval Office meeting, Trump repeatedly told Zelenskyy, 'You have to be thankful.' Trump was demanding deference from Zelenskyy to show his inferior and submissive position as a recipient of U.S. aid and military support. These are mannerisms of absolute kings, not elected officials. The beginning of Trump's second term in office has been filled with announcements of changes – mostly through executive actions. The Trump administration has ordered the Pentagon to stop cyber operations against Russia and fired hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The administration has also closed the Social Security Administration's civil rights office and, among many other things, named the president chair of the Kennedy Center, a performance arts venue in Washington. Trump has enacted policy changes almost exclusively through executive orders, instead of working with Congress on legislation. Executive orders do not have to be negotiated with the legislative branch and can be written by a small team of advisers and approved by presidents. Within the first six weeks, Trump has signed more than 90 executive orders. By comparison, former President Joe Biden signed 162 executive orders during his four years in office. Many of Trump's executive orders are being challenged in court, and some have been found to likely not be constitutional. More importantly, Trump's successor can turn executive orders into confetti in an instant, simply with a signature. Trump himself has signed at least two executive orders that rescind over 60 previous executive orders, mostly signed by Biden. The fact that Trump has removed almost all of Biden's executive orders highlights how the orders can create change for a moment, or a few years. But when it comes to long-term policy change, congressional action is needed. Early in Trump's first term in 2017, the administration planned themed weeks called 'Made in America' and 'American Heroes,' for example, to emphasize changes it intended to pursue. Trump's staff launched, stopped and then relaunched a themed infrastructure week seven times in 2019. This happened after Trump repeatedly derailed infrastructure events to focus on a more interesting event or topic, ranging from defending his comments that seemed to suggest support for white supremacists to discussing the reboot of Roseanne Barr's sitcom. In his second term, Trump has farmed out many head of government tasks to other people, notably billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the new so-called Department of Government Efficiency. By mid-February 2025, Trump gave Musk, who holds the title of special government employee, oversight for hiring decisions at every governmental agency. But as DOGE has initiated widespread cuts at different government agencies and offices in an effort to trim government waste, Musk has reportedly clashed with Trump's cabinet members. This includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as other independent agencies funded by Congress. Government agencies, funding recipients and others are pushing back against the cuts and at times are succeeding in getting court rulings that halt the dismissal of government workers, or reinstate other workers at their jobs. Trump also seems to have abdicated most responsibility of bureaucracy to others by allowing Musk's team unprecedented access to sensitive government programs and documents that include people's personal information. Absolute kings, queens, emperors and dictators are heads of state who demand obedience because they hold the nation in their grip. Presidents from elected democracies may, as in the case of the U.S., have a ceremonial aspect to the job, but it is only a part of it. The people democratically elect American presidents to serve everyone and provide the best government possible. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Shannon Bow O'Brien, The University of Texas at Austin Read more: Tyrannical leader? Why comparisons between Trump and King George III miss the mark on 18th-century British monarchy Trump's defiance of a federal court order fuels a constitutional crisis − a legal scholar unpacks the complicated case Donald Trump's nonstop news-making can be exhausting, making it harder for people to scrutinize his presidential actions Shannon Bow O'Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Federal Job Applications Will Soon Have Essay Questions About Trump's Executive Orders And Government Efficiency
Essay questions about government efficiency and President Donald Trump's executive orders will soon be included in federal job applications, the Office of Personnel Management announced Thursday, adding new requirements for civil service job seekers that could gauge their political leanings. The questions were listed in a Thursday memorandum from the Office of Personnel Management. (Photo ... More by) The questions will apply to applications for positions GS-05 and above, a federal pay grade with annual rates as low as $34,454, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management. Four essay questions will be added with a limit of 200 words per answer, with applicants required to certify that they did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence for their answers. The Office of Personnel Management said the questions are being added as part of Executive Order 14170, which Trump signed in January and seeks to make the federal hiring process more efficient. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here. 1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience. 2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes. 3. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired. 4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position. The new questions do not explicitly ask applicants about their political preferences, which is prohibited under federal law. However, Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, told Bloomberg, which first reported on the job application questions, that the new inquiries were 'deeply problematic' and an 'almost partisan and ideological overlay without understanding the responsibilities they're hiring for.' When exactly the new questions will begin appearing on federal job applications provided by USAJobs, the official employment site for the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management did not immediately respond to Forbes' request for comment. Trump signed Executive Order 14170 with the stated goal of streamlining and making the federal hiring process more transparent. He also signed Executive Order 14173 to curb diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in federal hiring, claiming the initiatives, which are intended to accommodate marginalized groups in the workplace and in the hiring process, are 'illegal, demeaning, and immoral.' Last month, The Washington Post reported some 280 employees working on environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for the Environmental Protection Agency resigned from the agency themselves or were told they would be fired. The president's goal to reform federal hiring has been pushed alongside the firing of hundreds of thousands of federal employees, which has been done to 'enhance accountability, reduce waste, and promote innovation,' according to the president. However, some of the layoffs have been reversed by the Trump administration or blocked by courts. Federal Government Layoff Tracker: State Department Reportedly Cutting 15% Of U.S. Staff, EPA Firing DEI Workers (Forbes)
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Uncertain times for big US law firms
Rumours are rife among expatriate US lawyers and their British brethren who work for American firms in the Square Mile — or just those who do business stateside — over whether Donald Trump will train his guns on them. His administration has hit several large US players with a barrage of executive orders, preventing some from accepting federal government work and from gaining crucial security clearance. Some are fighting, but others have come to an arrangement with the leader of the free world, who, of course, loves a deal. One US lawyer tells The Times that there is wide confusion over why some firms have agreed to the Trump arrangements, which, it is said, broadly involve doing free work for the administration or the
Washington Post
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The blueprint for Trump's executive power agenda came out in 1988
Imagine a populist president who set out to create, 'in the first weeks of his administration, a radically different perception of the presidency.' He could use 'far-reaching executive orders' to 'give various constituencies throughout the country the immediate conviction that this president, for a change, looks out for them.' The burst of presidential edicts would serve visceral as much as practical purposes: 'The nation as a whole needs to be jarred by this newcomer's determination to protect the country's vital interests, perhaps by ordering, on national security grounds, the immediate expulsion of dangerous aliens.'
